The Israeli Defense Force has intensified its attacks on Hamas during the sixth day of its ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, and is continuing to bomb Gaza despite a state of total siege. Unfortunately, this recent escalation has resulted in a significant loss of life over 3,600 casualties, including civilians, on both sides.
Amidst this, Israel has declared the establishment of an emergency unity government and a war cabinet. Antony Blinken, US Secretary has scheduled to visit Israel on 12th October, where the meetings will be held with senior officials, aiming to link the Hamas attacks to the long history of rationalism and violence that the Jewish community has experienced globally over the decades.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden confirmed that approximately 150 US citizens were among the hostages that were taken by Hamas militants in their unexpected weekend attack on Israel. President Biden, by addressing the reporters, highlighted how this attack has unfolded the painful memories and enduring scars from centuries of rationalism and massacre experienced by the Jewish people. He stressed the need for clarity on terrorism that has no justification or excuse, and the nature of terrorism is clearly seen in this situation. Biden also revealed that he and the Vice President Kamala Harris held a phone conversation on Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This marked their fourth call since the attack that had occurred last Saturday.
The State Department has reported on Wednesday that the count of US citizens who have been confirmed to have lost their lives in the Israel-Hamas conflict has now reached a minimum of 22 individuals. This shows an increased trend from the previous day’s count, which was at 14 in number.
The recent attack has notified the inquiries regarding the potential involvement of Iran, which serves as the primary sponsor of Hamas. However, the information gathered by the US indicated that the senior Iranian government officials were surprised by the sophisticated violence. This information was provided by an unnamed US official and has also influenced the White House’s public statements, claiming that there isn’t any clear evidence of direct involvement of Iranians in the execution process of the Hamas attack.
